Anthropological Joyce: Dubliners, Van Gennep and Liminality

Abstract

This article considers, in a first part, the epistemological congruence
between Joyce’s writing and the practices of the major anthropologists of
his time. In a second part, it explores more specifically the twin concepts of “liminality” and “rites of passage”, as elaborated by Arnold Van Gennep at the beginning of the 20th century, arguing that they are embodied in similar ways in Dubliners and, in particular, in “An Encounter”. This comparison sheds light on the role of “magic circles” and “special languages” (Van Gennep) that, together with moments of sacred exposure, interstitial trespassing, linguistic decentering and other forms of liminal experience, are central to Dubliners as well as to Joyce’s later work. 

Keywords: James Joyce; anthropology; rites of passage; liminality; Dubliners.